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Kathi Thimsen's picture

By Kathi Thimsen RN, MSN, WOCN

Skin protectants and moisture barrier products serve two purposes in patient care: first is to protect the skin from harmful stimuli (incontinence, wound drainage, saliva, gastric juices, etc.); second is to create a barrier between the skin and the environment. It is amazing that one product and basically one classification of ingredient can get the job done!

Laurie Swezey's picture

By Laurie Swezey RN, BSN, CWOCN, CWS, FACCWS

The sheer number of dressings available makes choosing the correct dressing for clients a difficult proposition. Clinicians today have a much wider variety of products to choose from, which can lead to confusion and, sometimes, the wrong type of dressing for a particular wound. Knowing the types of dressings available, their uses and when not to use a particular dressing may be one of the most difficult decisions in wound care management.

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Mary Ellen Posthauer's picture

By Mary Ellen Posthauer RDN, CD, LD, FAND

Metabolic Roles of Vitamin C

The major function of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in wound healing is assisting in the formation of collagen, the most important protein of connective tissue. Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin found in water-filled foods, dissolves in water and is transported in the bloodstream. Excess amounts are excreted in the urine; however, since the body does not store vitamin C, food sources should be consumed on a regular basis. Vitamin C supplementation has been shown to increase tensile strength and collagen synthesis by assisting in the hydroxylation of lysine and proline, major constituents of collagen.

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Aletha Tippett MD's picture

By Aletha Tippett MD

What is palliative care relative to wound treatment? In short, it is about humanity, caring and compassion. Today I saw a 90 year-old woman in a nursing home. She had hip and ankle fractures, and developed a sacral ulcer in the hospital. She was in excruciating pain, screaming at every touch. To correct her turned-in hips, she was trussed up in a hip abductor device – she called this “the dragon” – that was both uncomfortable and painful.

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Ron Sherman's picture

By Ron Sherman MD, MSC, DTM&H

This being the first in a series of WoundSource blogs about biotherapies, it seems appropriate to use this opportunity to define the discipline of biotherapy. After all, even within the biotherapy community, the definition is still evolving.

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Kathi Thimsen's picture

By Kathi Thimsen RN, MSN, WOCN

Looking for a moisturizer? Look no further than the faucet! Did you know that water is the ONLY moisturizing ingredient? It’s true. All of the other ingredients in popular skin and wound care moisturizers are simply to keep the water where we want it to be on our patient’s skin.

Laurie Swezey's picture

By Laurie Swezey RN, BSN, CWOCN, FACCWS

Our eating habits are ingrained in us from an early age, and are often difficult to change. Eating is not only a physical necessity, but a social act that can have psychological components as well. As practitioners, we often know what our patients need to do to speed wound healing. Getting our patients on board, however, can be a challenge.

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Glenda Motta's picture

By Glenda Motta RN, MPH

Coverage and payment for new wound care technology is never automatic, and demands skillful assessment of what various payers require to accept a new treatment modality. Reimbursement is complex and involves coding, coverage, and payment. Too many companies erroneously believe that “getting a code” guarantees payment. Nothing could be further from the truth!

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Mary Ellen Posthauer's picture

By Mary Ellen Posthauer RDN, CD, LD, FAND

For many years clinicians have relied on serum proteins, such as albumin and pre-albumin, as markers of nutritional status. However, current research indicates that there is little data to support this practice. Albumin and pre-albumin (transthyretin) are acute phase proteins. The advent of the inflammatory process - including infection, trauma, surgery, burns, and other wounds - elicits the acute phase response. During this acute phase response, these proteins decline and are called negative acute phase reactants.

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